Sightseeing in Montenegro

Kotor Old Town

Kotor’s walled medieval center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, enclosed by 4.5 kilometers of Venetian stone fortification. Enter through the 1555 Sea Gate and the town itself costs nothing to walk. St Tryphon’s Cathedral, consecrated in 1166, charges €4, as does the Maritime Museum on Trg Bokeljske Mornarice. Climbing the fortification wall to San Giovanni Fortress is a separate ticket at €15, bought at the turnstiles near the River Gate; it’s 1,350 steps and 45 to 60 minutes each way, so start before 08:30 or after 17:30 in summer to avoid both the heat and the cruise-ship crowds.

Perast and Our Lady of the Rocks

Twelve kilometers north of Kotor, Perast is a compact Baroque waterfront town of sea captains’ palaces. Its bell tower is climbable for €2. A short water taxi (€5 to €10) reaches Our Lady of the Rocks, the Adriatic’s only artificial island, built up by Perast sailors over centuries; the Baroque church and its museum charge €3 and hold over 2,000 silver votive tablets left by grateful mariners. The neighboring islet, Sveti Đorđe, holds a cypress-covered Benedictine monastery and is viewed from the water rather than visited on foot.

Budva Old Town and the Citadel

Budva’s walled peninsula town was rebuilt after the 1979 earthquake and keeps its medieval street plan. The Citadela overlooking the sea costs €3.50 and includes a small maritime library and museum. The bronze Ballerina statue on the coastal path toward Mogren Beach is Budva’s best-known photo stop.

Đurđevića Tara Bridge

This concrete arch bridge in the north, built 1937 to 1940, spans the Tara River Canyon 172 meters above the water. During the Second World War, Partisan engineer Lazar Jauković destroyed its central arch to slow the Italian advance and was captured and executed on the bridge; it was rebuilt in 1946. High-altitude zip lines now run across the gorge alongside it.

Lake Skadar

Lake Skadar, based around the fishing village of Virpazar, is the largest lake in the Balkans and home to more than 280 bird species, including the Dalmatian pelican. A national park day entry runs €5 and covers the visitor center and trails; boat excursions among the water lilies are booked separately with local boatmen at the docks.

Getting Around and What to Wear

Renting a car gives the most flexibility between these five stops, though intercity buses connect Kotor, Budva and Podgorica reliably. At Ostrog, Cetinje or Morača monasteries and any working church, dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) and keep your shoes on throughout; footwear stays on in every Orthodox and Catholic church in the country.

A Kotor Bay boat trip covering Our Lady of the Rocks and the Blue Cave can be arranged through Viator , and a base in Kotor’s Old Town or Dobrota is easiest to search on Booking.com . Official tariffs and hours for the parks and fortifications above are kept current on Kotor’s tourism site and the national parks operator at nparkovi.me .

Read more: the Kotor and Perast walking tours guide breaks these same stops into two shorter routes on foot.

Buy the Kotor wall ticket at the official turnstile near the River Gate rather than from a street vendor; unofficial resellers around the gate charge a markup for the same stub.

• Montenegro
• Guides